


Graveyard Shift

by 00FFFF



Series: Out of Moonlight [5]
Category: Hermitcraft
Genre: Finding out your friends aren’t human anymore, Gen, Non-human hermits - Freeform, Vampires, season 6
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27460507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/00FFFF/pseuds/00FFFF
Summary: Ren bumps into Mumbo, but he doesn’t seem like himself in the slightest. Something happened to him, and Ren is determined to figure out if, and how he can help.
Series: Out of Moonlight [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1652413
Comments: 37
Kudos: 90
Collections: Non-human Hermits





	1. Daylight shmaylight

Ren yawns and stretches before he gets up and starts walking back. He follows the path out of the woods, past the Minigame District, leading him back to New Hermitville. The sun has already made its way high in the sky, casting a nice glow over the village in the distance, and a warm smile makes its way onto Ren’s face at the sight.

Soon he’ll be back home, and he’ll be able to take it easy again. It’s the day after the full moon, and Ren has spent every moment of it out in the forest, expending his energy and recharging what little magic he has. He feels both exhausted and invigorated at the same time. Physically tired for obvious reasons, but mentally charged and raring to go. 

Everything feels brighter, smells clearer than before. It’s barely been a year since he’s been changed, so Ren’s still getting used to how shifting under and after a full moon feels, but he’s really starting to enjoy it. It has this kind of routine to it, a way to connect to a more natural, primal self. 

Ren feels ready- _eager,_ even, to get back to working on his mini fortress base. He’d been slacking on his building of it as the full moon was approaching, but now that that’s behind him again he’s ready to get back into the swing of things.

Just as the sturdy walls of New Hermitville come into view, approaching the gates which protect the village from raids, someone rounds the corner and bumps right into Ren. That’s weird- He didn’t sense them at all. Their collision causes Ren a sudden headache, and before he has the chance to look up at who it is he bumped into, the mere _presence_ of the person calls something deep inside of him to _growl._

He gets a _hiss_ in response, which is weird enough in and of itself, but when Ren looks up the sight confuses him even further.

He’s met with the sight of Mumbo, two hands clasped tightly against his mouth, eyes wide as if what just occurred is a surprise to him, too.

Ren shakes his head. “...Mumbo?”

Slowly, Mumbo drops his hands from his face. 

“Er, hi... Ren,” He says, looking away. “Sorry, I- I was kind of in a hurry, I didn’t see you.”

“Hurry? Where are you going?” Ren asks. Mumbo shifts his weight from one foot to another.

“Oh, just. Somewhere else. I dunno...” Mumbo looks off into the distance, and he perks up when his eyes fall onto something. “-The games district! Yes! That’s where I was going! Well, seeya-”

Ren stops Mumbo with a hand against his chest. He leans in and sniffs, ignoring the strange look Mumbo gives him.

“Ren, what are you-”

“Shush. You smell... weird,” Ren says, pulling Mumbo closer to get a good whiff. 

“I- I... really should go,” Mumbo says. He tries to pull away, but Ren holds him tightly. The little amount of Vex magic inside of him seems to be reacting to _something_ inside of Mumbo, wanting to make sure he can’t get away.

Ren sniffs again, and again and again, trying to figure out what Mumbo smells like. What he _should_ smell like, but... 

_Nothing._

Mumbo doesn’t smell like anything.

Not even like the potion he apparently splashed himself with earlier, because Ren can _see_ the swirling potion particles. Not everybody can see them, he learnt, but he _can._ Mumbo took a potion, somehow doesn’t have a scent, _and_ he’s trying desperately to get away...

“Something’s different,” Ren says, and he steps back.

Mumbo laughs nervously (because even if Ren can’t figure out what he’s feeling through his scent, he can still read Mumbo’s face and voice like a book). 

“Different? What? No, nothing’s wrong! Nothing happened! I’m fine, I just- I’m just taking a breather outside during the beautiful morning sun, it’s _fine!”_

He tries to pull away again, and it triggers Ren’s wolf instincts, _like prey trying to get away from him,_ and he growls again. Mumbo yelps and responds with another hiss, and that’s when Ren _knows_ that something has happened.

Mumbo begins to struggle harder, and Ren can see tears begin to form in his eyes. His eyes that are... that have a faint _red_ glow to them. Ren loosens his grip and backs away a few steps, showing that he means no harm. Mumbo is breathing heavily, shaking ever so slightly. He looks nervous. He looks _scared._

“Mumbo,” Ren says. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pressure you.” He can feel his ears droop down, reflecting his mood. Mumbo follows his movements. “You don’t have to, but... You can talk to me, you know that, right? Something’s clearly bothering you.”

Mumbo looks at the ground again. Ren doesn’t think he’s ever looked as small as he does now.

He takes a deep breath.

“It’s... I don’t know if you can help with this,” Mumbo says.

“Does it have to do with the potion you took?” Ren asks, and he notes the way Mumbo gasps at that.

Mumbo nods slowly.

“Is this something that happened recently?”

Mumbo nods again.

Ren sighs. “Well, I know from my experience that talking about it helps more than you might think, so if you’d like to, we can sit down somewhere in the shade and just talk? I’m not letting you go until you feel better, so I’m afraid you’re stuck with me for a while,” He says, offering a sympathetic smile.

Mumbo doesn’t say anything, holding his breath.

“Would you like to at least hang out today?” Ren asks, ears flattening against his head in an attempt to look less threatening. He’s not sure _how_ he even managed to scare Mumbo in the first place.

Thankfully Mumbo looks up and nods, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Ren grins and grabs Mumbo’s strangely cold hand and tugs him along, back into the forest. “Alright! Come on, I found this really tranquil clearing next to a pond last night! There’s plenty of tree stumps we can use as chairs and the ground feels really soft between your paws!”

Ren knows Mumbo lets himself be dragged along, but this is further than he thought he’d get with him, in all honesty. The two of them haven’t really interacted with each much other outside of the occasional passing by each other in the shopping district, and a few strange interactions during the war. Maybe now’s a nice chance to bring some change into that.

It doesn’t take too long to get back to the place Ren mentioned, and he has to say, it looks even prettier during the daytime. Light falls through the overhead trees and reflects off of the pond in the middle of the small clearing almost otherworldly. 

Ren sits Mumbo down on one of the tree stumps, and then takes place on a stump next to him.

He can’t tell what Mumbo is feeling, but he _can_ feel his own nervousness gnawing at his thoughts. Mumbo’s entire presence itches something inside of him. This crawling feeling, like he isn’t safe, somehow. But is that really just because he doesn’t know Mumbo that well?

Ren forces the unpleasant feeling away. It’s just Mumbo. Nothing’s wrong. He looks pale, he smells... of nothing.

Not anything. Not a speck of redstone dust, not a drop of sweat. It’s extremely unsettling. Like... like Mumbo isn’t even _here._ It’s not like him. It’s not like him at all.

He realizes he unconsciously leaned in, sniffing at Mumbo’s suit again. Mumbo is hunched away, clearly uncomfortable. Slightly embarrassed, Ren pulls back, laughing out loud. 

“I’m sorry for wolfing out on you,” He says. “You know how it is with these,” He flicks his ears in demonstration.

Mumbo’s face lights up at that, and Ren thinks he can see him visibly relaxing a bit. 

“Oh! Oh, that actually explains a lot!” Mumbo says, nodding sheepishly. “I can’t believe I didn’t realize-” He opens his mouth, showing off his teeth. Ren is about to ask what he means when Mumbo shifts, sunlight catching on his two canines. His _fangs._

_Oh._

“I’m, uh... I’ve been turned into a... a vampire,” Mumbo says as if it’s not obvious now.

Ren can feel his tail wagging behind him, brushing against the forest ground. A _vampire._ Vampires exist... then? Why, of course they do! Ren laughs internally. He’s a werewolf himself, after all. Anything is possible, clearly. He shouldn’t be surprised by this. Ren’s mind is _racing_ with thoughts and questions and he doesn’t know where to begin.

Mumbo is a _vampire._ And he’s got potion effects swirling off of him. Duh. _Duh!_ Fire resistance! The sun is out! Mumbo is- Ren’s tail is wagging faster now, both excited and intrigued at everything. 

“So _that’s_ why you were trying to get away?” He asks, and Mumbo nods, closing his mouth again.

“But, but this can’t have _just_ happened, right? How... how _did_ that happen?”

Mumbo chuckles. “It’s a bit of a long story, you should ask Zedaph about the details. I’m still just trying to get used to... to this all,” He gestures around vaguely. “You know how it is.”

Ren nods. Wait. _Wait._

_“...Zedaph?"_

Mumbo’s eyes widen, and he puts his hands to his mouth again.

“...I shouldn’t have said that,” He says, voice muffled.

Zedaph... Ren tries to think back to the few times they hung out. The last time has to be when he helped Zedaph repair his film studio and herd his sheep. That was right after his first full moon, too. Ren recalls how _off_ Zedaph had felt to him, but he always thought that it was just because he wasn’t used to his wolf instincts yet.

If Zedaph’s the same as Mumbo, then...

“Zedaph’s a vampire?” Ren asks.

Mumbo looks away, but nods.

“Oh man,” Ren says. “In hindsight I should have known, but. Yeah, jeez. I guess that makes sense.” 

Neither of them say a thing for a full minute.

“So he... he turned you?” Ren then asks, and Mumbo recoils.

“I promised him I’d keep it secret,” He winces, and Ren forces himself to calm down, forces his tail to stay still.

“Well, he knows that you can’t keep secrets from us hermits forever,” Ren offers. “I mean. Look at me. Look at how quickly _my_ situation got into the public eye. I’m sure that Zedaph won’t hold it against you,” He says. He puts his hand on Mumbo’s shoulder in an attempt to come off as sympathetic, but Mumbo shudders at the contact, and Ren quickly pulls his hand back.

“Zedaph’s not the type of person to get angry at something like that,” He says. “Plus, if anything, you can tell him I pressured you into telling me.” 

Mumbo looks back at him, he looks a bit better hearing that. Looking right at him, Ren notices just how pale Mumbo looks. He’s never had much of a tan, but now he’s just. White as a sheet. Ren wonders how much of that is because he’s undead and how much of that is because of how scared he looks.

“...Want to tell me what happened?” Ren asks carefully, and Mumbo nods. He can see him (try to) relax, which is good. He wants to help Mumbo. If he really only just turned into... an undead being like this like Ren suspects, then talking about it is _essential_ in processing his feelings. To accept his situation, to accept himself.

Mumbo takes a deep breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday the 13th, everybody!! This is just too good a date to not post the next part of the Out of Moonlight series on!!!! I hope you enjoyed, and I hope you'll enjoy the next two chapters, which will be coming out soon, as well!


	2. That fateful night

“So, er, you remember the blood moon last year? When people mysteriously died and respawned all dazed and confused?” Mumbo asks.

Ren nods. He had the same thing happen to him, as well. “One of the weirdest respawns that I've ever experienced,” He chuckles. 

“Do you... do you remember anything from it?” Mumbo asks, and Ren tries to think back to what exactly happened. He doesn’t remember much, now that he thinks about it. It’s almost like his memory is... _blocked_ by something. 

“Hmm, well, I _do_ know that I couldn’t sleep for some reason, so I was enjoying a peaceful walk in the forest at night. I think I saw a figure, then? I’m not sure though. The next bit is... fuzzy. Next thing I know I woke up in my bed, but since so many other hermits felt the same I just thought it was a glitch or something. Nothing like that has happened since, either.”

Mumbo nods as Ren recalls his experience. “Well, I already mentioned Zedaph, so there’s no use in trying to hide it,” He sighs. 

He has his pale hands clasped together again. This must be something Mumbo does when he’s uncomfortable or nervous. Ren _really_ wants to pull Mumbo into a hug, wants to hold him close to comfort him, but he isn’t sure if Mumbo would be alright with that, so he keeps still.

“And like you said, nobody remembered much of that blood moon a year ago,” Mumbo continues. “But that’s when it all started.”

Ren leans in closer, ears perking up, showing Mumbo that he’s listening. That he’s here for him.

“Let me just- I’m trying to remember this all correctly, Zedaph’s only just told me, but,” Mumbo’s brows furrow in deep thought, he’s clearly trying to figure out a way to explain something.

Then he perks up. “Oh! Ren!”

“...Yeah?”

“You’re a werewolf!” Mumbo says as if he only _just_ figured it out. Knowing Mumbo, he might actually have.

“Yes?” Ren says. “But not quite, it’s got to do with the Vex and the moon and all kinds of strange magic and stuff.”

Mumbo nods enthusiastically. “The moon! That’s it! It’s similar for Zed! For vampires, I mean,” He says. “It’s all because of the _moon!”_

Oh? There might be more to this than Ren previously thought. Sure, he’d talked with Cub and Scar plenty of times before about his new state of existence, and his dependence on the moon’s magic, but _vampires,_ too? That’s new. That’s _double_ new.

“It was a _blood_ moon,” Mumbo continues to explain. “Vampires are affected by the moon, but on those nights in particular. It’s only supposed to last a couple of hours, but you could see how much damage a powerful vampire living up to his, er, true nature, can do.”

Ren nods. It had taken _days_ for that weird feeling after respawn to fade. There were four, five people who got attacked, and- oh dear. A shiver runs down Ren’s spine. That was all _Zedaph,_ huh?

“Like... I as a wolf revert back to my natural state under a full moon, and... vampires kinda revert back to _their_ natural state under a blood moon?” Ren asks. He thinks he’s starting to understand.

“Kind of, yeah,” Mumbo says. “Zedaph said it’s more like... his ‘full potential’. Him at his most powerful, I think?”

Ren nods. That’s similar to him, yeah. He can see why Mumbo thought to explain it to him this way.

“So, well, knowing that, you can guess what happened, with Zedaph,” Mumbo says, voice a lot softer than before. “I got attacked too, but- I didn’t die. I wasn’t fully aware of what was happening, and all I remember from it is _pain,_ so... That kinda explains why I thought nothing was wrong, because everybody else seemed to have experienced the same as me! I thought it was normal! I thought the headaches and the tiredness and this feeling of, of _wrongness_ were normal!”

Ren can only nod, realizing just how long ago that was. That was- that was _last year._ Zedaph’s been- he’s been hiding this all this time?! God, Scar wasn’t kidding when he said that there’s more to the hermits than he thinks he knows. 

“...And I got used to it, in the end. The feeling never faded, not even after the countless times I respawned since then. I must have... well it _did._ It stayed in my system long enough to spread, to... change me. Yeah.”

Mumbo looks- Ren sniffs. It’s so strange not being able to tell what he feels. How did he ever get by before he got this ability? He studies Mumbo’s face, long having lost the ability to care about how he himself must look doing this. What matters right now is Mumbo, and Mumbo obviously isn’t looking too good.

His red eyes are intensely focused on the ground. His hands are clasped together tightly, and if he still had blood flowing through him, it would have made his knuckles white, Ren’s sure. Mumbo’s lips are pressed together tightly as well, though Ren can see his fangs poking through ever so slightly. He knows how weird that must feel, to suddenly have teeth that feel so very foreign and _sharp_ in your mouth. It’s a lot getting used to.

Even Mumbo’s ears look pointier than before. They weren’t always like that, were they?

If Mumbo notices Ren’s staring he isn’t showing it. Ren sees that the few breaths that Mumbo does take look rather shallow. 

Mumbo looks... _uncomfortable._ He must still be getting used to things. Ren can’t tell for sure how he’s feeling (not as easily with most of the other hermits, at least), but he can guess. He guesses that Mumbo needs a hug.

“...Do you want a hug?” Ren asks, and Mumbo looks up. He nods silently, barely moving, but Ren quickly scoots over and pulls Mumbo into a hug, smiling. Looks like he guessed right.

He breathes in Mumbo’s not-scent, and doesn’t let go when Mumbo goes to pull away. Mumbo sighs and relaxes a little in Ren’s embrace. He pulls Ren closer, holding him so tightly that Ren almost thinks Mumbo doesn’t actually know how much strength he possesses. Mumbo, cold as he is, melts into his warmth. Ren hums and sighs softly, already feeling more at ease with how _different_ Mumbo feels and smells. 

They sit like that for who knows how long. It reminds Ren of Doc, of how he came to his aid when _he_ was dealing with similar problems. Strange how these types of things seem to repeat themselves.

“So, Zed’s a vampire, huh?” Ren says. Mumbo nods in his arms.

“And he’s the one who turned you. By accident, it sounds like.”

Mumbo nods again.

“Has he been helping you?”

Now, Mumbo finally pulls away.

“Yes! He- he’s been there for me the _moment_ I accidentally told the entire server that I couldn’t feel my heartbeat anymore. He hasn’t left my side since, which- which is exactly why I felt like I needed a little break, I suppose. I don’t think it’s even sunk down, if I’m honest. Like I’ll wake up at any moment and find out that this has all been a terrible, really long dream.”

Ren pats Mumbo’s shoulder, nodding. “I know. But that does mean that he cares about you and your wellbeing, which is good.” 

Mumbo stays silent, though Ren perks up at a thought.

“But that message was like, last week or something? That blood moon was like a _year_ ago. How did _that_ happen?”

Mumbo’s eyes snap back to the ground. “Ah, well, you see... I didn’t... _turn,_ until- until I...”

“Until you what?” Ren cocks his head to the side.

“...Until I drank blood,” Mumbo mutters under his breath.

“...Oh.”

“Don’t ask how! I didn’t mean to, I-” Mumbo moves his hands as if to physically stop Ren from getting closer.

“Hey, I believe you, it’s okay,” Ren says. “I won’t even ask you what it was like, because, _man,_ how the heck are you supposed to answer a question like that?! Being put up on the spot when you’re already dealing with so much, when you’re just trying to wrap your head around everything that’s happened, that’s just too much.”

“Thanks, Ren,” Mumbo says, arms dropping to the side. “I appreciate it.”

“No problem, brother. Looks like you’re in the same boat as I was many months ago, and you won’t have to sail alone, oh no.”

A smile appears on Mumbo’s face, and Ren grins back. 

“I didn’t hurt anybody though, I promise,” Mumbo says. “I was just- trying to see if something was redstone or not.”

“...By sticking your tongue into it?”

“Well don’t say it like that!” Mumbo shoves playfully at Ren. 

“Hey! I get it, I totally get it! Do you know how many comments I’ve gotten about stickin’ my nose into other peoples’ business?” Ren laughs.

“Fair point, yeah,” Mumbo snickers, and the two of them laugh together for a brief moment before Mumbo settles into a more somber mood. 

“It... it was strange, though. I have to say.”

“Oh?” Ren’s ears perk up.

“When I first, well, tasted _blood,_ it- I felt this _surge_ of energy all throughout my body at once. I didn’t know what in the world was happening and next I knew I couldn’t feel my heartbeat anymore- I meant to ask Xisuma privately in a chat if something went wrong with my code or something but clearly I accidentally let the entire server know and then Zedaph was with me within _minutes,_ urging me to drink a potion before he gave up and splashed it on me. Everything... It feels like everything should be a blur but I remember everything so _vividly.”_

Mumbo leans forward, arms resting on his knees.

“And then he took me with him before Xisuma even had the chance to show up and ask what had happened, and the _sunlight,_ it- it _hurt,_ Ren. I never could have imagined such a white, hot _pain._ The Nether doesn’t even begin to _compare_ to how it felt, I- And then Zedaph took me inside and the pain faded instantly, Zed just kept on apologizing to me while I knew nothing and I was just so, so scared and _confused.”_

Ren slowly brings his hand to Mumbo’s back, just resting it there, hoping that the warmth will seep through.

Mumbo nearly chokes on his words. “It still feels so unreal, but- it is. This is my reality now. Everything’s completely different, all of a sudden. And now it’s almost five months since the last blood moon and the next one is coming up really soon. Zedaph has told me everything. There’s so much but that part specifically haunts me wherever I go. Zed, he… he asked me to keep everything a secret, but I- I don’t know if I _can!_ It feels like I’m going to explode! Everything got flipped and shaken and I haven’t got the hang of any of this yet and Zedaph is stressed out which is stressing _me_ out even more and-” Mumbo takes a deep breath. “It’s only been a week, and I’m already so _terrified.”_

Ren doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t even know if words are what Mumbo needs right now. He guesses that Mumbo needs another hug, and thankfully Mumbo lets himself be pulled into his embrace. He runs his hand across Mumbo’s back, holding him tight, hoping to help calm his thoughts for a bit. 

Neither of them say anything. Mumbo looks exhausted, both physically and mentally. His eyes are heavy and his breathing is barely there. Ren shivers as the air starts getting colder, but Mumbo does no such thing.

So they sit in silence, Mumbo staring at the ground, and Ren looking in the distance as the sun starts to set.

Ren thinks he can feel Mumbo relax in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Why do I keep Hurtin Hermits(TM)? 
> 
> ;w;


	3. Looking forward

The moon, Ren thinks. It’s not just him that’s affected by it, not just the Vex, but other creatures as well. And the _blood moon,_ oh man. It even _sounds_ ominous. Ren guesses it is. If there’s one thing he remembers from that time he died last year it’s how sinister the world had looked as it was cast in the moon’s red light.

And... Zedaph had gone full-on vamp and killed a lot of hermits. Including him. Including _Mumbo,_ in a way. Ren can’t imagine it. Zedaph, the resident silly redstone contraption maker, the guy who makes TV out of a sheep-based guessing game, the-

Ren feels Mumbo start to pull away, so he lets go. There’s a soft smile on his face.

“Feel better?” Ren asks.

Mumbo nods. “A bit, yeah. It’s strange, I- the _moment_ the sun starts to disappear I feel calmer, like- It...” Mumbo struggles to find the right words, it looks like.

He frowns. “I used to _love_ the sun, it kept me safe from mobs and all sorts of other things and now. Now _I’m_ the one being hurt by it. _I’m_ the mob, now. The sun used to bring me so much comfort and I... I miss it. Already, isn’t that ridiculous?” Mumbo chuckles dryly. “It’s barely been a week and I’m already longing to go back. I can be outside with a fire resist potion, but... it’s not the same. It’s not the same.”

Ren looks at Mumbo, puts his hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Mumbo doesn’t shake him away this time.

“I know, Mumbo. I mean, I don’t _know,_ but I think I understand,” He says. “You’ll get used to it.”

Mumbo nods, but it doesn’t look like he’s convinced.

Ren notices with the darkening sky that Mumbo’s eyes seem to almost... light up, slightly. The red is more pronounced, somehow. Ren wonders if mentioning it would make Mumbo feel self-conscious about it. It looks cool either way, he thinks. They fit him.

“Does... does Zedaph have red eyes as well, then?” Ren asks. And as expected, Mumbo looks away, almost as if to hide his own eyes.

“Oh, uh... yeah, he does. But he wears contacts, to hide it,” Mumbo says.

That makes sense, Ren thinks. No human being naturally has _purple_ eyes. He recalls how some hermits speculated that Zedaph might have been an elf or a fairy of some sorts, with his pointed ears. Ren internally applauds Zedaph’s dedication to seeming so strange, yet so _human_ for all of this time.

Contacts. It’s really that simple, huh? Ren is baffled at how nobody managed to figure it out before. Or maybe they did, and they’ve kept it a secret from everybody else as well. Ren didn’t even know how different Cub and Scar actually were until they outright told him, either. Though, thinking about that time Ren helped Zedaph repair his sheep studio, Ren does think it explains a lot of... _quirks_ that Zedaph possessed. How much of it is because he’s a vampire, and how much of it is because he’s _Zedaph?_ At the time he thought it was just because he wasn’t used to his new instincts and senses, but... Zedaph really _did_ feel... off. 

Zedaph doesn’t give off any scent, even when he’s using fire resistance potions. He wears contacts to hide his red eyes, and... Ren guesses that he must have been dealing with being a vampire for a long, _long_ time, if he can hide it so well. Are they going to keep it secret? Is the secret out, now that Mumbo has been turned?

“So... Are you going to wear contacts as well?” Ren asks.

Mumbo appears to think it over for a moment. “I dunno. I’ve never been really good with poking myself in the eye with things.”

They laugh, but it quickly dies down.

“You’re still worried, aren’t you?” Ren half-guesses.

Mumbo sights shrugs. “...Yeah. How can I not be?”

“I don’t blame you! What’s wrong?”

"..."

"Mumbo? What's wrong?" Ren asks again, a little quieter.

Mumbo's gaze turns towards the ground. “...The blood moon.” 

“Yeah?” Ren cocks his head to the side.

“I... I don’t know what it’ll be like and it _terrifies_ me.”

“How long until the next one?” Ren asks. 

“Just over a month,” Mumbo says. 

“Well, Zedaph must have some sort of plan for it, right?” Ren asks. “Can’t you stay with him while it happens?”

“No,” Mumbo sighs. “Zedaph will be affected by it as well, of course. He’ll be the same as last time. _Feral._ He won’t be able to help.”

“Oh.”

“It’s- it’s a little strange to try and explain, but Zedaph, he... I guess something similar happened yesterday," Mumbo says. "It’s obviously tied to the moon, because this time around he was more... aggressive, in a way. He... he wasn’t himself. Tango and Impulse came around before that and Zedaph warned me about him as well but last night he- He disappeared entirely. He called himself ‘Death’, and he was... a _lot._ Nothing like they said he would be and I don't know- I don't know why _I_ didn't change. Zedaph said he doesn’t feel like himself when the moon comes out but I felt _fine-!"_

Ren doesn’t think he understands a thing that Mumbo’s saying, but he nods for him to continue.

"’Fine’ is not exactly the right word because I was freaking out but. I was still _me._ No 'evil vampire alter ego' took over for me. It was all _me,"_ Mumbo says, eyebrows furrowed, hands in his hair.

“I... Will I lose myself as well?” Mumbo looks up, his eyes wide and tears threatening to spill. “I don’t want to- I don’t want to become a monster. I don’t want to be like him. I don’t want this, I don’t...” Ren pulls Mumbo into a hug again, holding him tightly. Showing that he’s here for him.

“I’m _scared,_ Ren,” He barely whispers. “Of everything. Of hurting others, of becoming something I’m not... Of staying the same and only further developing this- this _bloodlust._ Scared of becoming like him when I- I can’t even avoid any of it. Xisuma already checked the code and there’s no way of turning me back and I can’t avoid it and with every day that passes the blood moon is only getting closer and closer and I’m so, so _scared.”_

“It’s okay, Mumbo. You will be. Eventually,” Ren says. He squeezes Mumbo tighter to emphasize his words. “You might not believe it right now, heck, I didn’t believe it myself when all this happened to _me,_ but, you _will_ be okay.”

Mumbo hums curtly.

Another approach, then, Ren thinks. Something more grounded in reality. In the here and now. Offer a solution? Is that what Mumbo needs?

“If I’m hearing this all correctly it’s the first time Zedaph has turned someone else, right?” Ren asks.

Mumbo nods, “Right.”

“So he’s likely figuring things out himself as well. Knowing Zed, he’s breaking his head right now, trying to think of a way to keep the both of you safe during a time like that.”

“...I suppose, yeah,” Mumbo says.

“So Zedaph ‘disappears’ when there’s a blood moon?”

“Yeah.”

“So he wouldn’t be much help to you during that, would he?”

“Last time he was with others was a year ago. He killed you and a bunch of other hermits and infected me.” Mumbo squeezes his eyes shut.

“I see," Ren hums. "Well, what does _he_ usually do during a blood moon, to keep everybody safe?”

“Er, he... he told me that when Impulse and Tango found out about him, that they’ve been keeping him in check every time since.”

“Oh!” Ren perks up. “Well, ask them what they do! Do they keep him in a room or something?”

“I don’t know, I’d have to ask,” Mumbo says. 

“Well there you have it," Ren says. "I’m sure that Zedaph is already thinking about it as well. He wouldn’t leave a rogue vampire-” Mumbo flinches. “...A recently turned _friend_ alone on an important night like that.”

“Doesn’t... doesn’t Doc have something like an underground facility?” Mumbo asks, getting up and wiping his eyes. “Doesn’t he have containment rooms? I know it’d be strange to ask of him, but...”

“Oh! You’re absolutely right, he does have that!” Ren perks up even more, he thinks he can guess where Mumbo is going with this.

“Do you think he’d mind if I... occupied one of those rooms every once in a while?” Mumbo asks, his voice barely audible. “Just in case?”

“He won’t mind, at all,” Ren says confidently. “He would _love_ to help you.”

Mumbo smiles again. Fangs poking ever so slightly through. He looks adorable. And surprisingly alive for someone who technically made the transition to a more dead state of being rather recently.

Ren knows how Mumbo is with these types of things. They haven’t hung out too much together, but just enough times for Ren to realize that their night isn’t over yet. He gets up, pulling Mumbo to his feet as well. Mumbo looks at him with question marks in his eyes.

“Wh-”

“Come on, let’s go ask him together,” Ren says. The confusion in Mumbo’s deep red eyes slowly makes way for gratitude.

Ren knows Doc. He knows that Doc has seen the strangest of things, and that he won’t ask any unnecessary questions. He knows that he’ll do his very best to accommodate Mumbo’s new state of being. Just like he’s done for Ren.

They get up and start walking. It’s a lot getting used to everything, Ren knows. Oh, he _knows._ He wants to be there for Mumbo. Help him now that he’s going through such a similar thing to what he's gone through himself, before. It’s strange. Ren feels more comfortable at night, too. It was so weird at first. It still is weird, with most of the hermits being active during the day. But now he’s got someone else to hang out with at night! He won’t have to feel guilty for keeping Mumbo up past his bedtime!

A smile tugs on the corner of Mumbo’s mouth, and Ren smiles as well, showing off his own sharp teeth. This makes Mumbo smile even brighter and Ren laughs. 

“You know, you’re not alone, dude. You don’t need to keep anything secret from anybody, we’re all friends here and we all respect each other. Whether they’re a creeper or part vex or even robotic in nature. Nothing’s too weird for our weird little group of friends and family,” Ren says.

“I know I’m allowed to be myself, it’s just- This is something that has been _forced_ upon me, y’know? It’s... I didn’t choose this.”

Ren nods. “Neither did I, my dude. And neither did Cub, or Scar, or Zedaph, I’m pretty sure. We’re all just trying to live, trying to thrive, out here.”

“That we are,” Mumbo nods.

“I just- I don’t know. It’s weird. It still feels so very _weird.”_ Mumbo stops, and Ren stops too.

“Not knowing how to put it into words is totally okay, dude. You just have to figure out how it all works, first. That’s the scary part. Once you know all the rules and boundaries you can start to bend and break ‘em,” Ren grins. “Then you can start to get control over it and _you_ become the boss of yourself.”

“That... that sounds like it would take a lot of time.”

“Oh, of course! But you’ve got all the time in the world now, don’t you?”

Mumbo smiles wistfully. “Guess so, yeah.”

Ren smiles sympathetically and throws an arm around Mumbo’s shoulder. They start walking again.

“Until you figure it out, though, we’re all here for you. You know that, right? Zed’s here for you, Grian and Iskall are here for you, Doc and Xisuma are here for you, and so am I, my dude.” 

“Thank you, Ren. I really appreciate it,” Mumbo says.

He’s still scared, Ren can see it in his face. But he’s smiling now, and that’s a great thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! This is but a blip in the larger series (most of which is still yet to come), but I really do hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you thought?


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